Automotive communication system

ABSTRACT

An automotive communication system for a vehicle includes a multi-pixel reconfigurable display device disposed at an interior portion of a vehicle. Data is wirelessly communicated to and is received by electronic circuitry of the vehicle from a mobile accessory that is a personal accessory of an occupant of the vehicle. The data is at least in part customized to the geographic location of the vehicle as determined by a global positioning system operable to determine a geographical location. Information derived at least in part from the data is displayed by the display device and is viewable by a driver of the vehicle. The automotive communication system includes voice input and the automotive communication system includes voice generation. The data is from a data provider located external of and remote from the vehicle.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/535,742, filed Nov. 7, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,221,399, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/015,444, filed Aug.30, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,884,788, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/050,133, filed Mar. 17, 2011, now U.S.Pat. No. 8,525,703, which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/551,849, filed Sep. 1, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,916,043,which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/935,795,filed Nov. 6, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,583,204, which is a continuationof U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/053,436, filed on Feb. 8, 2005,now U.S. Pat. No. 7,382,289, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/777,812, filed on Feb. 12, 2004, now U.S. Pat.No. 6,909,361, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 09/839,678, filed on Apr. 20, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,693,517,which claims priority from U.S. provisional application Ser. No.60/199,676, filed on Apr. 21, 2000, the disclosures of which are herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entirety; and application Ser.No. 10/777,812 is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 10/365,794, filed on Feb. 13, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,832,719,which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/687,778,filed Oct. 13, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,133, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/057,428, filed Apr.8, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,655; and application Ser. No.10/777,812 is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/755,627, filed on Jan. 12, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,158,881, whichis a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/287,178, filedon Nov. 4, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,678,614, which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/799,414, filed on Mar. 5, 2001, nowU.S. Pat. No. 6,477,464, which claims priority from U.S. provisionalpatent application Ser. No. 60/187,960, filed on Mar. 9, 2000; and U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/050,133 is a continuation-in-part of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/536,930, filed Aug. 6, 2009, now U.S.Pat. No. 8,044,776, which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/052,341, filed Mar. 20, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,579,940,which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/625,374,filed Jan. 22, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,579,939, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/755,915, filed Jan.13, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,446,650, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 09/793,002, filed Feb. 26, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No.6,690,268, which claims benefit of U.S. provisional applications, Ser.No. 60/263,680, filed Jan. 23, 2001; Ser. No. 60/243,986, filed Oct. 27,2000; Ser. No. 60/238,483, filed Oct. 6, 2000; Ser. No. 60/237,077,filed Sep. 30, 2000; Ser. No. 60/234,412, filed Sep. 21, 2000; Ser. No.60/218,336, filed Jul. 14, 2000; and Ser. No. 60/186,520, filed Mar. 2,2000.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to data and information communication within anautomobile and particularly to automotive mirror assemblies adapted tocommunicate wirelessly with other vehicular accessories and/or withpersonal accessories of occupants of the vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A vehicle may have features and/or accessories connected by a variety ofwireless links and/or wired links, such as are described in commonlyassigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,396,408, which claims priority from U.S.provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/196,577, filed on Mar. 31,2000, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,294,989, the disclosures of which are herebyincorporated herein by reference. For example, some vehicle features,accessories and functions can be interconnected by and/or cancommunicate by wire connection, by wireless infrared communication,wireless microwave communication, by wireless RF communication, or byany combination of the above.

As described also in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,690,268, whichrelates to U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/263,680, filed onJan. 23, 2001, U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/243,986, filedon Oct. 27, 2000, U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/238,483,filed on Oct. 6, 2000, U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/237,077,filed on Sep. 30, 2000, U.S. provisional application Ser. No.60/234,412, filed on Sep. 21, 2000, U.S. provisional application Ser.No. 60/218,336, filed on Jul. 14, 2000, and U.S. provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 60/186,520, filed on Mar. 2, 2000, and in commonlyassigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,000,823 and 5,959,367, all of the disclosuresof which are hereby incorporated herein by reference, the vehicle andparticularly the interior/exterior mirror assembly can host a variety offeatures and accessories. Also, such features and accessories can beconnected via cable elements, such as coaxial cable, a multi-ribboncable, a multiwire cable, and/or a fiber-optic cable (for communicatingby optical method), or can be connected without wires, such as by shortrange RF wireless communication such as provided by Motorola,Schaumberg, Ill. via their BLUETOOTH protocol or by infrared wirelesscommunication such as provided via the IrDA protocol available fromClarinet System Inc. of San Jose, Calif.

The present invention is particularly suitable for use in a “connectedcar,” i.e., an automobile in two-way communication with a remote partysuch as by a telematic wireless communication link, and most preferably,connected to an information source such as the WorldWide WEB via theINTERNET. This present invention provides compatibility andinteroperability for mobile devices, such as hand-held mobile phones,personal digital assistants (PDA) such as a PalmPilot PDA, hand-heldpersonal identifiers, hand-held remote entry devices, such as a key fobas known in the automotive arts including active and passive entry keyfobs, and the like.

Accessories may be provided at the purchase of the vehicle as in-vehicleinstalled items or may be carried in and out of the vehicle by the user.Such can be provided with ports or interfaces adapted to communicate viathe use of a cable or wired communication, but more preferably awireless communication. For example, a modular phone may be equippedwith an RF communication link operating under a short-range wirelesscommunication protocol, such as BLUETOOTH available from Motorola ofSchaumberg, Ill., that communicates with the vehicle wirelessly so that,for example, telephone communication can be conducted via the audiosystem of the vehicle while the occupant possessing theBLUETOOTH-equipped phone is using the phone. Likewise, a phone or othermobile device can be equipped with an infrared (IR) communicationinterface/port such as an IrDA port than can provide wireless infraredconnectivity.

A vehicle mirror-based wireless communication system, according to anaspect of the invention, includes an interior rearview mirror assemblyincluding an interior mirror reflective element, a housing for thereflective element, and a mirror-mounted communication device. Themirror-mounted communication device includes a communication data portfor short-range communication with a mobile device that is a personalaccessory of an occupant of the vehicle. The communication devicefurther includes a telecommunication link from the vehicle to anexternal provider of information or service. In this manner, thecommunication device provides connectivity between a low-power mobiledevice and a provider of information or service separated from thevehicle.

A vehicle mirror-based wireless communication system, according toanother aspect of the invention, includes an interior rearview mirrorassembly including an interior mirror reflective element and a housingfor the reflective element. A remote telematic server is provided thatis remote from the vehicle. A vehicular dynamic interactivecommunication system is provided at the rearview mirror assembly. Thecommunication system includes a Global Positioning System (GPS) fordetermining a geographic location of the vehicle and a firstcommunication link with the remote telematic server. The mirror-basedwireless communication system further includes at least one serviceprovider and a second communication link between the at least oneservice provider and the telematic server. In this manner, thecommunication system communicates identification data to the telematicserver pertaining to either the location, identity and/or directionheading of the vehicle. The at least one service provider providesassistance data to the vehicle via the first and second communicationlinks. The assistance data is customized to the location identity and/ordirection heading of the vehicle.

These and other objects, advantages and features of this invention willbecome apparent upon review of the following specification inconjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an electrical block diagram of a vehicle mirror-based wirelesscommunication system, according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of an interior rearview mirror assembly,according to the invention; and

FIG. 3 is an electronic block diagram of a vehicle mirror-based wirelesscommunication system, according to another aspect of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In order for mobile devices to be used within the interior cabin of avehicle, such as an automobile, the vehicle must be equipped with atleast one complementary interface/port capable of wireless communicationwith the mobile device within the vehicle cabin, or when approaching thevehicle from the exterior. Where wireless infrared connectivity is used,it is preferred that line-of-sight communication be possible between themobile device and the interface/port of the vehicle that serves as theinterface and exchange point for data between the mobile device and thevehicle electronics system/accessories. In this regard, placement of anIR data port at the interior rearview mirror assembly (such as at or inthe case/bezel of the assembly, or attached to the mirror assemblysupport about which the casing housing is adjustable, or at or in a podattached to the attachment mount of the interior mirror assembly to thevehicle, such as to a mirror mounting button on a windshield as areknown in the mirror arts) has the advantage of being high mounted andcentral, and so accessible to all vehicle occupants including those inboth the front seats and in rear seats.

The interior rearview mirror of the vehicle (and optionally an exteriorside view mirror of the vehicle) is preferably equipped with at leastone infrared communication port such as an IrDA (Infrared Data Port)such as the devices available from by Clarinet Systems Inc., San Jose,Calif. for wireless connectivity to other IrDA devices such as thePersonal Digital Assistants (PDA) like the Palm Pilot Palm III, IIIx, V,VII, Glenarye pager, Motorola 2000X Pagewriter, and similar devices andcellular phones equipped with IrDA ports such as the Nokia 6210, WindowsCE devices, laptop computers, and similar mobile devices having wirelesscommunication capabilities to paging, cellular, or satellite systems.Also, by connecting a mobile device to the vehicle via avehicle-mounted, preferably mirror-mounted, wireless connectivityinterface/port, a low-feature and/or low-power mobile device can belinked to the vehicle, and the vehicle (including its on-board computer)can serve as the modem/communication port/computer for the mobiledevice, thus greatly expanding the capability of the mobile device. Thisenables wireless connectivity of devices that originally could not actas a wireless modem.

Also, mobile devices typically have restricted display capabilities. Byconnecting wirelessly to the vehicle and to the vehicle's electronics(such as a vehicle computer), the greater display capability and/orgreater computing power of the vehicle (such as a vehicle video display,preferably mirror-mounted, such as disclosed in commonly assigned U.S.Pat. No. 6,690,268, which relates to U.S. provisional application Ser.No. 60/263,680, filed on Jan. 23, 2001, U.S. provisional applicationSer. No. 60/243,986, filed on Oct. 27, 2000, U.S. provisionalapplication Ser. No. 60/238,483, filed on Oct. 6, 2000, U.S. provisionalapplication Ser. No. 60/237,077, filed on Sep. 30, 2000, U.S.provisional application Ser. No. 60/234,412, filed on Sep. 21, 2000,U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/218,336, filed on Jul. 14,2000, and U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/186,520, filedMar. 2, 2000, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein byreference), can be accessed and used by the mobile device.

A separate display is located behind the mirror reflector. In such aconfiguration where a display element is behind the mirror reflector,the reflective mirror coating of the mirror reflective element can belocally at least partially removed at the location of the displayelement disposed behind the mirror element. Optionally, where all thereflective mirror coating is removed, a semitransparent butsignificantly reflecting coating or series of coatings (such as a thinmetal film coating or a multilayer of coatings, including a thin metalcoating of silver, aluminum, rhodium (or their alloys), or the like, ora dichroic coating or coating stack, can be used that substantiallymasks the display element from driver notice until the display elementis powered to display information, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,668,663 and 5,724,187, which are incorporated by reference in theirentireties. Such has been described as “display on demand” in the art.Such display can include a “display on demand” such as disclosed in U.S.Pat. Nos. 5,668,663 and 5,724,187 noted above. In this regard, it ispreferable that the display be a light-emitting display, such as afluorescent display, a vacuum fluorescent display, a field emissiondisplay, an electroluminescent display, a fluorescent display, a plasmadisplay, or a light-emitting diode display, such as an organic orinorganic light-emitting diode display. Alternatively, the reflectiveelement may comprise a substantially reflecting, significantlylight-transmitting reflective element, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat.Nos. 5,668,663 and 5,724,187 noted above. An example, such as asemitransparent reflector, would be a third surface reflector coated onthe third surface of an electrochromic mirror element, as known in theelectrochromic mirror art, consisting of a thin metal coating (such asof silver, silver alloy, aluminum, aluminum alloy) that is significantlyreflecting of at least 60%, preferably at least 70% and most preferablyat least 75% but also significantly transmitting in the range of between5% to 30%, preferably in the range of between 10% and 25% and mostpreferably in the range of between 15% and 20%. Preferably, the thinmetal coating is overcoated with a transparent conductor such as indiumtin oxide when contacting an electrochromic medium (preferably anelectrochromic solid polymer film) when serving as a combined thirdsurface reflector/conductor layer in an electrochromic laminate cellconstruction. For further details of suitable reflective elements withportions of the reflective mirror coating adapted to permit light totransmit through the reflective element or of a highlyreflecting/significantly transflective reflective element, reference ismade to U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,668,663 and 5,724,187.

This access can be facilitated via protocols such as the WirelessApplication Protocol (WAP) for mobile devices and can be networked viasub-networks of the WorldWide Web by systems providers such as JPSystems Inc. of Dallas, Tex. Such networks are designed for mobiledevices and include client applications, gateways, and backend serversintegrating with open standards, such as WAP. The server compresses andoptimizes data so that it can be sent to wireless devices in a formatthat is best suited to those devices. Typically this data is displayedin a few lines of text, preferably a scrolling line of text data, tosuit such mobile interactive transceivers. When connected within avehicle, preferably such data is displayed at the interior rearviewmirror.

As described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,477,464, which claimspriority from U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/187,960filed on Mar. 9, 2000, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,553,308, which claimspriority from U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/131,593 filed onApr. 29, 1999, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated hereinby reference, provision of a display and particularly a scrolling textdisplay at the interior rear view assembly of the vehicle (and/or theexterior rear view mirror assembly) has many advantages including easeof readability and recognition by the driver of the vehicle.

The interfacing of a mobile accessory to the vehicle via a wirelesslink, preferably a wireless IR link, can be further enhanced by linkingto the vehicle's GPS system. The GPS system can providelocation/directional information to the driver. This can facilitate aPUSH communication protocol whereby information and messages areautomatically transmitted to the driver. Alternatively, or in addition,a PULL communication protocol can be used whereby the driver selectsinformation at his/her request only. This optionally can be auser-defined option. For example, assume the vehicle equipped with thepresent invention is approaching a service/convenience/food suppliersuch as a Starbucks coffee location or a service station. The in-vehicleGPS system can alert the WAP hardware located either in the vehicle or,through the IrDA port, on the handheld device and offer a discount suchas a $0.25 electronic coupon if the driver decides to stop for aparticular purchase at that store. The vehicle location is wirelesslytransmitted from the vehicle to a system such as ONSTAR™ available fromGeneral Motors or a similar system. The location of the vehicle is thenprovided to a service location proximate to the location of the vehicleor in the direction of travel of the vehicle. Such service provider(s)can then communicate wirelessly back to the vehicle specificinformation/service offers/discount information/advertisements, and thedriver or other occupants of the vehicle can make decisions based onthis received information and/or can specifically communicate with suchservice provider(s). Also, INTERNET and/or telemetry sites and servicescan be provided at a low cost or free to the driver, and with thecompensation to the remote service provider be via advertisementsreceived at the vehicle and displayed to the driver. By linking via theGPS system of the vehicle, such advertisements can be customized to suitthe particular geographic location where the vehicle is located. Also,customized entertainment and/or information can be provided by wirelesscommunication to the vehicle, such as from a digital satellite radiostation, and with content, such as advertisements, local newsbroadcasts, weather data, traffic data, and the like, customized to theparticular location of the vehicle via dynamic interactive communicationthat communicates GPS data concerning the vehicle location and heading,generated by an in-vehicle GPS system, from the vehicle to a remotereceiver (such as a web site, telemetry service or media station) viawireless transmission and receiving of data to and from the vehicle,and, preferably, via an IrDA-port, to a mobile device such as a personalcell phone or PDA in the vehicle.

Another embodiment of the invention is the placement of mobile devicecommunication ports such IrDA ports in the vehicle cabins of automobilesin a rental car fleet. Preferably, the communication port, such as anIrDA port, is placed at the interior rearview mirror assembly, as thisis a central location that is readily accessed by a variety of drivers,many of who will be new to the type of rented model, but who will havehad previous familiarity with accessing a mirror-mounted IrDA port. Thiswould enable the temporary user of the vehicle access mobilecommunication and services as well as communication to the rentalcompany if the vehicle breaks down or requires servicing. Certainvehicles could also be equipped with faxes and keyboards for a mobileoffice capable of sending and receiving information.

In addition to these features, the IrDA port can serve as the interfaceto systems within the mirror such as a palm-sized keyboard similar to ahandheld PDA where the operator can compose, edit, and access systemslocated in the mirror. This system can be available as an optionbecause, due to the open architecture of the IrDA port, the operator canalso interface the system with the existing PDA, phone, or other mobiledevice capable of composing or editing messages. This provides a usefulinterface for the operator for entering street addresses and E-mailmessages.

In addition, the interior rearview mirror assembly can aid in theinterfacing of the mobile communication protocol/needs of a particularbrand/model of mobile device (such as, for example, a Palm Pilot™ PDA)to a particular vehicle model of a car manufacturer. For example, thevehicle bus system for a GM vehicle may be different than thearchitecture for a Ford vehicle. The interior mirror assembly in therespective model/brand of vehicle can function to allow the PalmPilot™,for example, owned by a person to interact with whatever automobile thatperson carries that PalmPilot™ into, whether a GM vehicle, a Fordvehicle or any other vehicle equipped with a mirror-mounted IrDA-port.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention.Mirror-mounted wireless communication system 10 includes a mobile device11 equipped with a mobile device communication port 12 (preferably anIrDA-port that transmits/receives data via infrared wirelesscommunication). When data is input to mobile device 11 via input element14 (which may be a keypad or a touch or stylus actuated screen), acommunication signal 16 is wirelessly transmitted to mirror-mountedcommunication device 18 mounted at interior rearview mirror assembly 20that is located within the interior cabin of a vehicle (not shown).Preferably, interior mirror assembly 20 is in electronic/datacommunication with the vehicle electronic system/accessoriesschematically represented by control 22 in FIG. 1. Control 22 links tovehicle-based telecommunication system 24 that provides a wirelesstelecommunication link from the vehicle to an externalservice/information provider.

Also, the mobile device may wirelessly communicate with the vehicle whenthe driver is approaching the vehicle when parked, such as to provideidentity to the vehicle in order to activate/deactivate a securitysystem, an entry system such as door locks, and the like. Also, themobile device can take part in vehicle-based remote transactions, suchas purchases, banking transactions, and the like, such as are describedin commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,655, the disclosure of which ishereby incorporated herein by reference. The mobile device, such as aPDA, may include driver license, insurance, registration and similardata that can be displayed to the like of a police officer using avehicle-based video screen. The vehicle can have built-in codes thatauthorize use of the vehicle by particular drivers/owners of particularmobile devices.

An interior rearview mirror system 30 incorporating the presentinvention is shown in FIG. 2. Interior rearview mirror assembly 32includes a mirror reflector element 36 that is within mirror casing 34.Reflector element 36 may be a prismatic mirror element or anelectrically variable reflectance element such as an electro-opticreflective element such as an electrochromic reflective element such asdescribed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,140,455; 5,151,816;5,567,360; 5,525,264; 5,610,756; 5,406,414; 5,253,109; 5,076,673;5,073,012 or 5,117,346, which are hereby incorporated herein byreference, and in publications: N. R. Lynam, “Electrochromic AutomotiveDay/Night Mirrors”, SAE Technical Paper Series 870636 (1987); N. R.Lynam, “Smart Windows for Automobiles”, SAE Technical Paper Series900419 (1990); N. R. Lynam and A. Agrawal, “Automotive Applications ofChromogenic Materials”, Large Area Chromogenics: Materials and Devicesfor Transmittance Control, C. M. Lampert and C. G. Granquist, EDS.,Optical Engineering Press, Washington (1990), the disclosures of whichare hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

A communication transmitting and/or receiving data port 38 is located inthe front, lower bezel portion of casing 34, below mirror reflectorelement 36. When mirror system 30 is mounted in a vehicle (such asattached to a vehicle windshield or to a vehicle header, as is known inthe mirror art), communication port 38 is adapted to receive data fromand/or transmit data to a mobile device (such as a PDA or a cellularphone) by wireless data communication. Preferably, communication port 38comprises an IR data port. Manually operated controls, 40, 41 and 42,facilitate exchange of data between mirror system 30 and a mobiledevice. Mirror system 30 also includes a multi-text display 46, thatpreferably comprises a multi-pixel display, more preferably areconfigurable display and most preferably a display capable ofscrolling, such as described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No.6,477,464, which claims priority from U.S. provisional application Ser.No. 60/187,960 filed on Mar. 9, 2000, and U.S. patent application Ser.No. 09/817,874, filed on Mar. 26, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,224,324,which claims priority from U.S. provisional application Ser. No.60/192,721, filed on Mar. 27, 2000, the disclosures of which are herebyincorporated herein by reference. Mirror system 30 also includes adisplay of compass direction and external or interior vehiculartemperature.

Also, a mobile device in data communication with mirror system 30 canoptionally attach to or dock with the interior mirror assembly, and/orcan form a pendant accessory thereto, such as is described in commonlyassigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,428,172, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated herein by reference.

Also, the mobile device can link to a vehicle bus system, such as a CANor LIN system such as disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No.6,396,408, which claims priority from U.S. provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 60/196,577, filed on Mar. 31, 2000, the disclosuresof which are hereby incorporated herein by reference, via datacommunication with communication port 38 of mirror system 30.

A vehicular dynamic interactive communication system 50 is shown in FIG.3. Vehicle 52 includes an in-vehicle GPS system 51 that receives GPSinformation from a satellite system (not shown) that identifies thegeographic location of the vehicle, and its direction while travellingon a highway. This data and other information, such as vehicle type,driver personal information, and the like, is processed by in-vehicletelematic system 54, which communicates via two-way wireless link 56with a remote telematic service provider 58 (such as an ONSTAR™ systemor a dial-in computer server or the like). Telematic service provider58, upon identifying the location, identity and direction heading ofvehicle 52, conveys this data via two-way communication link 60 (also,preferably, a wireless link) to a service provider 62 (such as a gasstation, store, cinema, WEB site, toll center, banking center, satelliteradio provider, and the like). Service provider 62, upon receipt ofinput data from vehicle 52 via link 60, providesdata/information/service back to vehicle 52 via telematic serviceprovider 58, and preferably with this data/information/servicecustomized to the geographic location and heading of vehicle 52 asgenerated by GPS system 51.

Also, many mobile devices such as PDAs, cellular phones, and the like,require manual input of data. However, while driving in a car, this maybe impractical and/or unsafe for the driver. By linking such mobiledevices to a vehicle, as disclosed in the present invention, anin-vehicle voice detection/voice recognition/voice generation system,such as are described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,428,172 andU.S. Pat. No. 6,420,975, the disclosures of which are herebyincorporated herein by reference, can be used to operate the mobiledevice while traveling in the vehicle. For example, by using anin-vehicle voice detection/recognition/generation system, and by linkinga PDA to the vehicle as disclosed in the present invention, the drivercan hear data stored in the PDA (such as calendar information, notes andthe like) by playback via the vehicle audio system (and with the vehiclevoice generation system receiving digital data stored in the PDA viawireless, or less desirably wired, link of the PDA to the vehicle andthen converting this digital data to a simulated voice that reads thedigital data to the driver via the vehicle audio system). Likewise, thein-vehicle voice detection/recognition/generation system can receivespoken words from the driver, convert these to digital data, andcommunicate this to the PDA.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:
 1. An automotivecommunication system for a vehicle, said automotive communication systemcomprising: a multi-pixel reconfigurable display device disposed at aninterior portion of a vehicle equipped with said automotivecommunication system; wherein data is wirelessly communicated to and isreceived by electronic circuitry of the equipped vehicle from a mobileaccessory that is a personal accessory of an occupant of the equippedvehicle; wherein said data is at least in part customized to thegeographic location of the equipped vehicle as determined by a globalpositioning system operable to determine a geographical location;wherein information derived at least in part from said data is displayedby said display device and is viewable by a driver of the equippedvehicle who is operating the equipped vehicle; wherein said automotivecommunication system includes voice input and said automotivecommunication system includes voice generation; and wherein said data isfrom a data provider located external of and remote from the equippedvehicle.
 2. The automotive communication system of claim 1, wherein saiddata is wirelessly communicated via at least one of a PUSH communicationprotocol and a PULL communication.
 3. The automotive communicationsystem of claim 2, wherein said data provider comprises a telematicsprovider.
 4. The automotive communication system of claim 1, whereinsaid automotive communication system comprises a link to a vehicle bussystem.
 5. The automotive communication system of claim 1, wherein saidautomotive communication system comprises a user input, said user inputcomprising at least one of a key input and a touch input.
 6. Theautomotive communication system of claim 1, wherein said data iswirelessly communicated to and is received by said electronic circuitryof the equipped vehicle from said mobile accessory via a BLUETOOTH link.7. The automotive communication system of claim 6, wherein said data isassociated with a web site.
 8. The automotive communication system ofclaim 6, wherein said mobile accessory comprises a telephone.
 9. Theautomotive communication system of claim 1, wherein said display deviceis disposed in the interior of the equipped vehicle at an interiormirror assembly of the equipped vehicle and wherein a user input forsaid automotive communication system is located at said interior mirrorassembly.
 10. The automotive communication system of claim 1, whereinsaid automotive communication system comprises a BLUETOOTH protocol andwherein said data is wirelessly communicated via at least one of a PUSHcommunication protocol and a PULL communication.
 11. The automotivecommunication system of claim 1, wherein information derived at least inpart from said data and displayed by said display device suits ageographic location where the equipped vehicle is located.
 12. Theautomotive communication system of claim 11, wherein said informationrelates to at least one of (i) a service provider and (ii)entertainment.
 13. The automotive communication system of claim 12,wherein information is displayed by said display device in accordancewith a PULL communication protocol whereby displayed information is atrequest of the driver of the equipped vehicle.
 14. An automotivecommunication system for a vehicle, said automotive communication systemcomprising: a multi-pixel reconfigurable display device disposed at aninterior portion of a vehicle equipped with said automotivecommunication system; wherein data is wirelessly communicated to and isreceived by electronic circuitry of the equipped vehicle from a mobileaccessory that is a personal accessory of an occupant of the equippedvehicle; wherein said data is at least in part customized to thegeographic location of the equipped vehicle as determined by a globalpositioning system operable to determine a geographical location;wherein information derived at least in part from said data is displayedby said display device and is viewable by a driver of the equippedvehicle who is operating the equipped vehicle; wherein said automotivecommunication system includes voice input and said automotivecommunication system includes voice generation; wherein said data isfrom a data provider located external of and remote from the equippedvehicle; wherein information derived at least in part from said data anddisplayed by said display device suits a geographic location where theequipped vehicle is located; and wherein information is displayed bysaid display device in accordance with a PULL communication protocolwhereby displayed information is at request of the driver of theequipped vehicle.
 15. The automotive communication system of claim 14,wherein said mobile accessory comprises a telephone.
 16. The automotivecommunication system of claim 15, wherein said data is wirelesslycommunicated to and is received by said electronic circuitry of theequipped vehicle from said mobile accessory via a BLUETOOTH link. 17.The automotive communication system of claim 16, wherein saidinformation relates to at least one of (i) a service provider and (ii)entertainment.
 18. An automotive communication system for a vehicle,said automotive communication system comprising: a multi-pixelreconfigurable display device disposed at an interior portion of avehicle equipped with said automotive communication system; wherein datais wirelessly communicated to and is received by electronic circuitry ofthe equipped vehicle from a mobile accessory that is a personalaccessory of an occupant of the equipped vehicle; wherein said mobileaccessory comprises a telephone; wherein said data is at least in partcustomized to the geographic location of the equipped vehicle asdetermined by a global positioning system operable to determine ageographical location; wherein information derived at least in part fromsaid data is displayed by said display device and is viewable by adriver of the equipped vehicle who is operating the equipped vehicle;wherein said automotive communication system includes voice input andsaid automotive communication system includes voice generation; whereinsaid data is from a data provider located external of and remote fromthe equipped vehicle; and wherein information derived at least in partfrom said data and displayed by said display device suits a geographiclocation where the equipped vehicle is located.
 19. The automotivecommunication system of claim 18, wherein said automotive communicationsystem comprises a user input.
 20. The automotive communication systemof claim 19, wherein data is wirelessly communicated to and is receivedby said electronic circuitry of the equipped vehicle from said mobileaccessory via a BLUETOOTH link.
 21. The automotive communication systemof claim 20, wherein information is displayed by said display device inaccordance with a PULL communication protocol whereby displayedinformation is at request of the driver of the equipped vehicle.